Watchdog, cornflake shows and so much more: John Stapleton – the TV star who could do it all

The personable presenter, who has died aged 79, was a rarity in the world of television: beloved enough to front any show at any time – from showing up fraudsters to reporting from war zones and hosting every breakfast show

Personable looks and an engaging manner made John Stapleton attractive to producers of populist TV shows. He presented 232 episodes of the BBC consumer action show Watchdog – working with his wife, Lynn Faulds Wood, who died in 2020 – and was a stalwart of cornflakes broadcasting for both main networks in the UK: presenting the BBC’s Breakfast Time and four iterations of ITV daybreak shows, including Good Morning Britain.

But Stapleton, who has died aged 79, was at core a serious and brave reporter. He made films for the BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight and for ITV’s World in Action, frequently covering international conflicts, including the 1982 Falklands Conflict and the 2003 Iraq War, for which he won a Royal Television Society prize.